Chamber and committees

The following tables set out the 55 new masts deployed through the Scottish 4G Infill Programme which completed in November 2023 by year and by local authority area.

The Young Islanders Network’s extensive membership covers all six island local authorities: Shetland Islands Council, Orkney Islands Council, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar, Highland Council, Argyll and Bute Council, and North Ayrshire Council.

To date, the Young Islanders Network has held online sessions on:

10-03-2022

31-03-2022

28-04-2022

12-05-2022

26-05-2022

09-06-2022

23-06-2022

11-08-2022

29-09-2022

17-11-2022

08-12-2022

18-01-2023

09-02-2023

02-03-2023

23-03-2023

20-04-2023

08-06-2023

28-06-2023

20-07-2023

07-09-2023

19-10-2023

09-11-2023

30-11-2023

18-12-2023

25-01-2024

29-02-2024

21-03-2024

22-04-2024

25-04-2024

Further on-line activities involving Young Islander Network members took place on:

01-11-2022

08-11-2022

15-11-2022

02-02-2023

08-02-2023

15-03-2023

23-11-2023

09-01-2024

Residential in-person events took place on:

30-07-2022 - 02-08-2022

26-01-2023 - 30-01-2023

Further in-person activities involving Young Islander Network members took place on:

13-06-2022 - 17-06-2022

26-08-2022 - 29-08-2022

30-08-2022 - 01-09-2022

06-02-2023

10-03-2023 - 12-03-2023

20-03-2023 - 21-03-2023

07-05-2023

05-07-2023

12-07-2023 - 15-07-2023

12-08-2023 - 14-08-2023

24-08-2023 - 29-08-2023

31-08-2023 - 02-09-2023

18-09-2023

20-09-2023

03-10-2023

01-11-2023 - 03-11-2023

18-01-2024

22-02-2024 - 23-02-2024

26-02-2024

02-04-2024 - 08-04-2024

17-04-2024

To date, £12,351,185 of capital investment has been awarded via the Scottish Government’s Islands Programme across 61 projects and 50 islands.

2021-22

The 2021-2022 Islands Programme was delivered through the Islands Infrastructure Fund and was allocated £5 million. The final amount awarded to capital projects was £3,901,192.

2022-23

The 2022-2023 Islands Programme was allocated £4.45 million. The allocation was awarded in full.

2023-24

The 2023-2024 Islands Programme was allocated £4 million. The final amount awarded to capital projects was £3,999,993.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of buildings listed as category (a) A, (b) B and (c) C containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Assessment for the presence of RAAC and for putting in place appropriate measures is a matter for individual building owners, informed by guidance such as that available from the Institution of Structural Engineers and, in the case of listed buildings, Historic Environment Scotland.

The Scottish Government is not currently planning on establishing an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce.

The Scottish Government commissioned a feasibility study into a National clinical ADHD Pathway. The final report of this study published in 2021 and found that a multi-disciplinary neurodevelopmental approach, inclusive of ADHD, rather than a condition specific approach, was needed.

In response to this finding the Scottish Government provided funding for adult neurodevelopmental pathway trials. Following the adult neurodevelopmental pilots, a final report was published in March 2023 outlining what is required to provide a multi-disciplinary neurodevelopmental approach across Scotland. The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendations and we are working with NAIT on implementation.

Additionally, aligned to this neurodevelopmental approach, the Scottish Government is taking forward proposals for a Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence bill to help better protect the rights of people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent people, including people with ADHD. The consultation ran from 21 December 2023 to 21 April 2024.

Phase one of the Highland Main Line Improvement Project was delivered in December 2012, increasing services from 9 to 11 trains per day in each direction, and reducing journey times by an average of 6 minutes at a cost of £1.2 million.

Highland Mainline Improvement Project Phase Two was completed in March 2019 at a cost of £57m. This phase delivered signalling upgrades at Aviemore and Pitlochry stations, along with an extension of the passing loop at Aviemore and the reconfiguration and extension of the platforms at Pitlochry. The infrastructure work delivered already and an integrated approach to passenger and freight timetable patterns have created capacity for additional rail freight on the Highland Main Line.

There are no active enhancement projects on the Highland Main Line. However, Transport Scotland continues to revise its programme of works against priorities in the context of available funding. This ensures Transport Scotland can deliver the right projects at the right time as it seeks to progress its rolling programme of decarbonisation, whilst also delivering rail passenger and freight services that meet user expectations.

While we know many public services are facing increasing pressures, long waits for neurodevelopmental support are unacceptable. We expect that those with ADHD should receive appropriate treatment and support as soon as possible. However, we are aware there has been a significant increase in people seeking a diagnosis and requiring support for their neurodivergence and this is creating challenges for a range of services.

We are working closely with NHS Health Boards and Local Authorities to improve services and support for children and young people and their families, including by providing over £1 million to support five pilots to implement targeted aspects of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification and £55.5 million to Health Boards in 2023-24 to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services for all, including neurodevelopmental services.

For adult support, the Scottish Government commissioned a feasibility study into a National Clinical ADHD Pathway. The final report of this study was published in 2021 and found that a multi-disciplinary neurodevelopmental approach, inclusive of ADHD, was needed. In response to this finding the Scottish Government provided funding for adult neurodevelopmental pathway trials.

Following the adult neurodevelopmental pilots, a final report was published in March 2023 outlining what is required to provide a multi-disciplinary neurodevelopmental approach across Scotland. The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendations and we are working with the National Autism Implementation Team on implementation.

The Scottish Government has not allocated any funding specifically to promote public awareness to improve the understanding of and or reduce the stigma associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, however the Scottish Government is working to ensure that all neurodivergent people, including those with ADHD, have access the support they need.

The Scottish Government and the National Autism Implementation Team launched a Neuro-affirming Community of Practice Community of Practice in October 2023. This Community of Practice is being developed to ensure that healthcare professionals are better equipped to understand the wants and needs of neurodivergent people, including people with ADHD. There has been positive engagement across health boards.

Education Scotland supports the implementation of inclusive practice for all children and young people, including those who may experience the characteristics of ADHD. A formal diagnosis of ADHD is not required for a child or young people to be provided with appropriate support through the staged level of intervention approach.

Additionally, last year, resources on ADHD were published on Education Scotland’s website, covering the common features, positive traits and challenges of ADHD. This was accompanied by a webinar, attended by over 300 individuals.

The Scottish Government has commissioned work through NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the National Autism Implementation Team to provide a range of professional learning about ADHD and neurodevelopmental conditions at informed, enhanced, specialist and expert levels (according to the NES framework). These can be found on the Turas page (NHS Education for Scotland’s unified training platform) and accessed by the workforce in the future.

All training opportunities have been very popular, and where places have been limited have been oversubscribed. NES have worked closely with colleagues in health boards to identify the most appropriate staff to attend training in these instances. These opportunities have included training in specific assessment tools, webinars on ADHD assessment and support and workshops for clinical teams to support putting new learning into practice. There has also been professional learning about steps towards becoming a neuro-affirming practitioner and sharing learning and examples of practice developments across disciplines and across the country through networks and events.